Jul 31, 2009

We've come to the end of another week and another month (where has this year gone?) and once again it's time for the Blogger Challenge. This week was a (Sketch) challenge. I always enjoy sketches because they give you a starting point and that makes things one step easier for me when I create.

For this card I started out picking out the DP and stamp sets I wanted to use. I had found this cool piece of DP (Nevermore - Cosmo Cricket) at our LSS and decided to pair it up with the Jailbirds stamp for the Inkadinkado set, (Ghouls and Goblins) that I bought last year around Halloween and never used. I colored my jailbirds with various shades of Prisma Color Pencils and added sparkle to their eyes with Spica Glitter Pens. I wanted a sort of "shabby" look to my card so I distressed the edges of some of the panels/

My card base is: Basic Black layered with Tangerine Tango and then Naturals Ivory cs that I embossed with the Spider Web Cuttlebug embossing folder after I computer generated the (Spooky) sentiment. I also brayed on some Sahara Sand ink.

I layered my birds onto Pumpkin Pie cs and distressed the edges with a sponge and some Bravo Burgundy ink. Then I added 3 Vintage brads and tied some Pumpkin Grosgrain ribbon around my panel to complete the card.

Stop by the other members blogs (Click on the icon on my sidebar) and see what they have done with this sketch and why not give it a try yourself.

It's time for Kerry's 3Clover Thursday challenge and this week our theme is: Fruity Tutty (must have fruit on your card/project). I sort of "cheated" a little since I already had this card finished as it was originally going to be my card for the (Where I Live) challenge found here: but I went with a different card and since this one has fruit on it I'm using it for this weeks theme and also as an on-going part of my own (Where I Live) theme. Walla Walla is fast becoming a (Napa Valley) type region. We now have nearly 100 Wineries in the area so you can see why I have used grapes for this card. The image is from an old retired SU set, (Sun-Ripened II) that I love and never plan to get rid of. I colored the grapes with Prisma Colored Pencils blended with Gamsol. Then I spritzed on some Bravo Burgundy ink and added some Dew Drops (Grapes and Leaves collection). The card base is Bravo Burgundy layered with Always Artichoke. I stamped the retired SU, (Weathered) background stamp with AA ink on the top portion and layered a piece of DP (DCWV) that I had in my stash that I thought went perfect with the grape image along with some ribbon (retired SU Prep School). I added a panel of BB behind the image that was embossed with the Distressed Stripes embossing folder. The sentiment was stamped with a combination of Bravo Burgundy and Always Artichoke, highlighted with piercing and layered on a large oval and then a scalloped oval. I added another piece of the Prep School Ribbon tied with some Linen Thread to complete the card.

Please stop by Kerry's Blog by clicking on the 3CT blinkie icon on my sidebar and see all the great "Fruity" cards the other DT members have come up with and then try out the challenge yourself.

Jul 28, 2009

I saw this challenge on the Greeting Farms Blog Farm Fresh Friday - Fluttery Floral and just had to give it a try. Awhile back my friend Elena sent me some stamped images from the Greeting Farm and one of them was this adorable Fairy called, (Fairy Eva) and I thought she was perfect for this challenge. For your card you had to use flowers, and at least one butterfly. I had this great paper (DCWV) that had butterflies on it and thought it was perfect for this challenge.

My card baseis Pixie Pink layered with Apricot Appeal and the Butterfly DP from Die Cuts with a View. I also added a small piece of Pretty in Pink embossed with the Floral Fantasy embossing folder and my Cuttlebug. I added a lacy border in Pixie Pink that I punched with a Martha Stewart Punch and stitched with my Janome Sew Mini. The sentiment was stamped with Pumpkin Pie ink and is from the Greeting Farm set, (McSplended Farm). I colored Fairy Eva with Prisma Color pencils and blended her with Gamsol. Then I added some Crystal Glitter (Art Institute) to her wings and layered her to Pixie Pink cs with my Nesties.

My flower is a combination of a Daisy Doodle Silk flower and some punched flowers (SU-retired). I added brads (Queen and Co.) and Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain ribbon and some punched butterflies (source unknown) to complete my card.

Jul 27, 2009

I have been having so much FUN since I discovered Hope's Cupcake Inspiration challenges and this weeks inspiration photo is a real treat. Don't you just love the bright colors and the pretty flowers.

I took my inspiration from a little bit of a different point then the actual cupcakes as I really loved the Waterlily sitting on the tray so that is the direction I took with my card. I wanted to do a watercolor look for my card and decided to try out a technique that I had seen found here: and while the technique did not go exactly like Patty's video I still liked the way it turned out.

I stamped the Waterlilies (Stamp Rosa) with White Craft Ink on Shimmery White card stock and embossed with Clear EP. Then I used reinkers and an Aqua Painter to watercolor my image. I did spritz the card stock with water but I ended up doing more actual watercoloring with the brush then letting the ink pool and spread out like it's suppose to according to the video. I think because my image was more detailed it didn't really let the ink spread out. The painting seemed to work for the look I wanted though.

I tried to use colors as close to the bright colors of the Inspiration piece as I possibly could. I decided to go with SU's Rich Razzleberry and Kiwi Kiss (Oh how I miss that color). I also wanted to use some of the new Basic Grey Lemonade designer paper I recently won from Scrapbook and Cards Today. Every Friday they have a Friday Freebie to give to one lucky commentor and I was the winner of a Free package my choice of Basic Grey DP and I chose the Lemonade paper because I really liked the cheery colors and pretty patterns.

For the bottom of my card I decided to make some flower accents that looked like waterlilies so I layered to punched flowers on top of each other and add Hot Pink Brands and punched circles of KK cs. I also added just a touch of the Chocolate Chip color of the cupcakes with some lacy looking ric rack. (I'm not a big fan of Chocolate cake/cupcakes-I know pretty weird huh? ) so that's why I chose to use just a small amount of the chocolate color. My main panel is raised with foam tape.

It's always fun to see how different people interpret the inspiration piece so be sure to stop by Hope's blog and then click on the Mr. Linky links to see how others were inspired.

Jul 26, 2009

I've had a couple of requests for the recipe for these cookies mentioned in this post: so I thought I would share the recipe here as well. Seriously even if you think you don't like Rhubarb you should give these cookies a try as they are just yummy. ENJOY!!!

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar. Beat in Eggs. Combine
the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
Fold in Rhubarb and Coconut.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto GREASED (I used Pam)
baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-14 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool for 1 minute before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Frosting: Beat Cream Cheese and butter until fluffy. Beat in
Confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Spread over cookies. Yield 3-4 Dozen If using frozen rhubarb, measure rhubarb while still frozen, then thaw completely. Drain in a colander, but do not press liquid out.

Jul 25, 2009

Wow it's great to have Taylor back with her wonderful Cupcake Friday sketches. I had some time in between making potato salad, bean salad, rhubarb cookies (which are yummy by the way) and decided to play along.

I wanted to use some of my new SU stuff and chose the Falling Leaves stamp set as my starting point. I also paired it with the new Autumn Traditions Designer Paper.

I stamped the leaves in More Mustard, Always Artichoke and Eggplant Envy on Shimmery White card stock cut with Nesties and layered onto the same colors of card stock. My panel is Ruby Red Textured cs with a Scallop Lace border trimmed with Always Artichoke and Zig Zag stitched with my Janome Sew Mini.

My sewing is a tad crooked but I'm still new to sewing on cards so even though it's not perfect I'm posting it anyway.

I used my Label Nesties and added the "Grateful" sentiment with Eggplant ink and used More Mustard Grosgrain ribbon and a Leaf Shaped button with some linen tread for an accent. The leaves on the main panel are raised with foam tape as is the sentiment.

Be sure to stop by Taylor's blog and check out everyone's take on this fun sketch by clicking on the Mr. Linky links. Have a great rest of the weekend.

Jul 24, 2009

Happy Friday Everyone. This week the Blogger Challenge group is doing, "Christmas in July" for the theme. It sure felt funny making a Christmas card when it was 100+ degrees outside here.

For this card I started by picking out a very old piece of DP ( Daisy D's) that I've had in my stash for several years now and then picking out a sketch I wanted. This week I managed to get to the MojoMonday sketch on time. I really love having a starting point when I make cards as it saves a lot of time.

Next I picked out my stamps. I borrowed this really cute set of Birdhouse stamps (Hero Arts) from my mom and colored it with Prisma Color Pencils. I stamped a 2nd image and cut out the wreath and mounted it with foam tape over the original. Then I masked the image and sponged on some So Saffron Ink. *Note I am admitting to goofing by stamping the image on Whisper White card stock and then stamping my background on Very Vanilla so that's why I added the sponged ink but it worked. Then I stamped the Linen BG on the reverse side of the pattern dp and used a Scallop Nestie. I added a Felt Poinsettia (Hero Arts) and some punched fronds (MS) of Always Artichoke and a Fire Rhinestone brad for the flower center.

I stamped the background strips with the Holly Flourish BG stamp (Hero Arts) with Garden Green ink on VV cs and then cut it into 3 strips and mounted them onto Always Artichoke cs and layered that to my patterned paper. Next I stamped the Linen BG stamp onto the reverse side of the DP with Riding Hood Red ink and stamped the sentiment with Hunter Green and punched it using a Martha Stewart punch. I tied on some cream ribbon and mounted it with foam tape.

I like how this turned out and hope you do as well. It's fun getting a bit of a head start on Christmas cards so maybe I'll keep it up and try to do more before Christmas rolls around and I'm out of card making time.

Please stop by all the BC members blogs and leave them some comment love.

Jul 23, 2009

Welcome! - Today it's all about the "Bling" for the 3CT Challenge. So if you love sparkly, glittery, shiny things this is the place for you.

For this card I used the Mojo Monday95 sketch. I always seem to be about a week behind with the sketches but this one was to cool to pass up so here it is.
My card base is Chocolate Chip layered with Whisper White and Groovy Guava (retired) that I ran through the Cuttlebug using the Floral Embossing Folder.
I stamped the butterfly (Inkadinkado) with Basic Gray ink and colored it with Prisma Color Pencils. Then I added Key Lime Glitter (Art Institute) to the butterflies wings and some shimmer on the dot trail with a Orange Spica Glitter Pen. My background paper is by SEI from the Mimosa collection. The striped piece has glitter on it and the green piece is the reverse side.
I added a scalloped border of Chocolate Chip that I added some sparkle to with Saddlebag Glitter (AI). I stamped the Sentiment with Chocolate Chip ink and added 3 Rhinestone Jewels (Icons from Me and My Big Ideas). I also added Kiwi Twill ribbon to complete my card. This is really very SPARKLY in real life but so hard to capture in a photograph.

Be sure to stop by the other Design Team members blog after clicking on the 3CT Icon on my sidebar and see their glitter and glitzy creations and then go try it out yourself.

Jul 19, 2009

Dizzy my head is spinning.....Well not really but that's what those fun circles in the latest Cupcake Inspiration Challenge brought to mind when I first saw them. Hope really does a great job finding such fun and interesting cupcakes to challenge your creativity and this one is no exception. I love the colors, they look so refreshing and pretty together. For my card I took my inspiration from the colors, the flower and the circle patterns. Next up I decided to use Taylor's Cupcake Friday sketch and this is the result of both challenges. For this card I embossed the circle embossing folder on Cool Caribbean cs and brayered Close to Cocoa ink over it. Then I stitched a piece of DP (DCWV) and distressed the edges. I layered this to Cameo Coral and a base of Chocolate Chip cs.

I stamped the cupcake (Hero Arts) on Whisper White cs and colored it with Prisma Color Pencils. I added Crystal Glitter (Art Institute) to the frosting and popped up the flower with mounting tape. This was layered on 2 pieces of Designer paper (Bo-Bunny) and Chocolate Chip cs. I stamped the sentiment with Chocolate Chip ink and added a Coral flower along with a Brown Felt flower and Turquoise brad to complete my card.

Be sure to stop by both Hope's and Taylor's blogs to see what others have come up with for these challenges. Have a great day.

Jul 17, 2009

Welcome and Happy Friday. It's time once again for the Blogger Challenge group to showcase a new theme. This weeks theme, A Stitch in Time (use stitching of some kind) on your project. This could be actual stitching with a machine, hand stitching, faux stitching...well you get the point.

Now I have got to admit that Sewing of almost any kind is not my forte. In fact it ranks right up there with "altering" projects as something that I really don't care for at all. I've had a long history of sewing woes from the time in Home Economics class when I sewed the zipper shut on my dress to present day when it took me nearly 2 hours last night to try and figure out how to rethread my Janome Sew Mini and get it to work long enough to sew the border across the bottom piece of my card. The thread just kept coming out of the needle or it would ball up under the paper in a nasty ugly tangle. I tried having my mom (who is an excellent seamstress) see what I was doing wrong but she wasn't able to figure out my machine as she has this really OLD Singer machine that she bought the year I was born and she's used it every since for all her sewing needs. Even DH tried to figure out what I was doing wrong (bless his heart) but that sort of irriated me (don't ask) so I finally asked him just to let me try and figure it out on my own. I watched or tried to watch a video that Gina K has out on using the Janome Sew Mini but even that didn't help. In the end I did something (not sure what) that at least worked long enough for me to sew a portion of my card.

This morning I did some piercing and then hand stitched the circle portion of the card to add another element of sewing to my project. About the only thing in sewing that I have ever been really good at is putting in a hem.

For my card I used the new Autumn Days stamp set (I just love that Pheasant image). I chose the now retired designer paper, (Autumn Vine) for my color scheme. I thought the pattern resembled the berries in the stamp set quite well. I stamped them using More Mustard ink and added a touch of Really Rust to portions of the berries. I mounted that to a circle or RR after I sewed my border *I used 2 colors of thread for that.

For the Pheasant I used Chocolate Chip Craft ink and stamped on More Mustard cs and embossed with clear EP. The sentiment is from (Season by Season - retired). I also did some distressing on that panel with the cutter kit and my fingernail. I added a piece of Chocolate Grosgrain ribbon and 3 More Mustard brads to complete the card. Oh there is also a bit of my homemade shimmer spray on the berries to give it some sheen.

Would you believe that I couldn't even figure out what that old proverb was suppose to mean! Yes, I must be sewing challenged.

Don't forget to check out all the other great stitched projects. You can do so by clicking on the Blogger Challenge Icon on my sidebar. - Have a great weekend.

Jul 16, 2009

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...Well at least on Kerry's blog today. The 3CT Design team are creating Christmas in July cards to give your creativity for this holday a jump start. If you're like me now is the time to get started on those holiday cards because before you know it Christmas will be here and you'll be making a mad dash to finish cards in time to mail them. For this card I chose to do something a little different. What you might ask (or not) but I'll tell you there is absolutely NO stamping on this card whatsoever. Yep, the present that is the focal point on this card is really a Dimensional Sticker. I saw this card on Maria's blog, (Stampin Inspirations) that she had done with no stamps and I thought, "Hey, I've got a whole bunch of really fun and cool holiday stickers so why not give this a try?"

I chose the present sticker (http://www.americantradional.com/) Dear Santa Elevations line. I added some Frosted Lace stickles to the dots on the package for a little extra pizzaz. Then I mounted it on a layer of Whisper White that I embossed with the Swiss Dot embossing folder and layered that to True Thyme (retired). Next up I paired it with a card base of Always Artichoke layered with designer paper from Basic Grey (Wassil) line. I also used a piece of Groovy Guava (retired) that I embossed with the Snowflake Embossing Folder and then brushed with a White Craft pad. I layered that with Whisper White and a Scalloped piece of textured card stock (DCWV) that I pierced.

It's a very unusual Christmas Color combo but I really like how it turned out and hope you do as well. I know it's not stamped but as a card maker I like to mix it up from time to time and try using other mediums besides stamps. You could easily substitute a present stamp for the sticker if you like to stick strictly to rubber stamping for your cards.

Now don't forget to stop by Kerry's blog - You can do so by clicking on the 3CT Icon on my sidebar and see what the other team members have done. Leave them some comment lovin, it's always appreciated.

Jul 14, 2009

Oh the yummyliciousness of this delightful cupcake. I just want to sink my teeth into that sweet, creamy goodness and that juicy cherry on top looks so delightful.

Hope picked out a really great cupcake for this weeks challenge. I love how refreshing it look with those bright colors and that pretty pastel pink frosting. So this week I chose to go with cupcakes for my card.

I decided to use the row of cupcakes from the new SU Hostess set, (The More The Merrier) and paired it with the cupcake sentiment from, (Sweet Little Sentiments). I had found a card on Joan's Blog here: that I really liked and decided to use some of her idea/layout on my card. I really liked how she used a border set to create her focal point so I went with that idea and stamped the row of cupcakes with Real Red, Summer Sun, Green Galore and Pixie Pink on Whisper White card stock. I added a small border of Real Red cs and some bright green ric-rack and then mounted it on Apricot Appeal card stock. I used some designer paper from DCWV that I've had for ages. I thought the fun colored striped made a good match for the pretty colors of the inspiration cupcake's wrapper. Next up I stamped an individaul cupcake from the row (the one with the Cherry On Top) and colored it with Prismacolor pencils and added some sparkle to the cherry with glitter (Art Institute). I mounted this with foam tape as well as my row of cupcakes. I decided to put my sentiment on the image panel rather then underneath as Joan did on her card.

Be sure to stop by Hope's blog and check out the other great cards and she has a cupcake challenge team now called the, Sweeties who will be posting every week so you don't want to miss that.

Jul 10, 2009

Hello and Happy Friday...It's always fun on Friday's to see what the Blogger's Challenge group creates for our weekly challenge. This week Lisa ask us to CASE (Copy and Share Everything) a fellow blog member. We could copy entirely or use their layout, color scheme, stamps etc...the hard part was deciding who to chose since we have some many talented stampers on this group. I started out by going to Rachel's Blog (Hope Stamps Eternal) and I found this card that I really liked.

Since she called it 5 Minute Friday I thought why not give it a try since I was limited for stamping time this week having Coleen here all day as her preschool was closed this week. Sadly I have to admit my version took me a lot longer then 5 minutes due to not cutting my card stock evenly, gluing it down with the ribbon I added and then having to tear it apart and start over. I'm not sure how well I succeed in capturing the wonderful feel of her card and I also have to say that the "Clean and Simple" style seems to be a hard one for me to do. I kept the over all design but changed stamps and colors.

With that in mind I decided to give this challenge a 2nd try and I visited MaryJo's blog (Techno Stamper) and found this card and here is my version. For this card I used the same stamps as MaryJo except for the sentiment. I also used some of the same colors she used, the same sketch and kept the corner element but changed it up a bit. I also popped up my phesant.

Thanks ladies for inspiring me and I hope my cards do you justice.
Don't forget to stop by the other blog members blog and see who they cased.

Welcome to the 3CT Challenge. Today I'm doing "Double Duty" by combining two challenges. First up is Kerry's Challenge which is this wonderful sketch. Next I've combined it with Hope's Cupcake Challenge (CIC14). She posted this adorable photo of these sweet little penguin topped cupcakes for everyone to be inspired by. Aren't they adorable. For my card I chose to forego using a Penguin image although I do own the cute image by Imaginisce that would have worked perfectly for this card. Instead I chose to be inspired by the light tropcial colors, flowers and the grass skirts.

I recently won this fun stamp set from There She Goes stamps, (Life's A Beach) and well I just had to use it for this card. The papers I picked are from Imaginisce - A Shore Thing collection. I love the soft pastel colors and yet they lent themselves beautifully with the Tropical feel I wanted for this card.

I stamped the beach scene on Watercolor paper and colored it with an Aqua Painter and various colors of inkpads that I smooshed and brushed my painter in. Then I masked off the trees and island and used a circle punch (1 1/4") to create a sun that I sponged with Apricot and So Saffron inks and then highlighted with Crystal transparent glitter (Art Institute). Next I masked the entire scene and stenciled in the clouds with Brocade Blue ink. I layered this to a rectangle Nestabilitie of Chocolate Chip cs. The drink was colored the same way and highlighted with glitter and Crystal Effects. I added some punch flowers in Certainly Celery with Sugar frosted brads (Doodlebug Design), a strip of hot pink rick rac and a strip of Certainly Celery card stock that I cut to resemble the grass skirts from the Penguin inspiration piece. The sentiment was stamped with Basic Black ink and punched with the word window punch and then layered on Apricot Appeal card stock.

Be sure to stop by Kerry's Blog (Click on the Three Clover Thursday icon on my sidebar) to see the other challenge members cards using this great sketch. Then hop on over to Hope's blog and check out the Cupcake Challenge cards. You can find them in the comments section on CIC14.

Jul 3, 2009

Happy Friday and Happy 4th of July Weekend. This weeks challenge is, Wave The Flag (Red, White and Blue). Seems that both Lisa and Kerry were thinking alike this week as they both issued the same color challenge. You can view my card for the 3CT in the post below this one.

Since I'd already done a Patriotic card I was going to go non-traditional with my red, white and blue colors and then I ran across this image that was already stamped (not colored) in a scrap box and since her basket included a "Flag" I thought why not go with this for my card.
The image is from a fairly old SU Hostess set from 2001 called, Country Charm. I colored it up using my Prisma Colored pencils and added some White Liquid Applique to the Pussy willows in the vase. I paired my image up with some more paper from the Sweetwater Firecracker paper collection. I also added a punched border of white and the sentiment is from a really old retired SU set (1991 - Americana) that I just can't bear to part with. I high lighted the heart with a red Spica glitter pen.
Colors used were: Night of Navy, Real Red, Brocade Blue and Whisper White. I also added 2 star brads (source unknown) and a punched Star with a heart button and some red, white and blue grosgrain ribbon (SU retired).

Be sure to stop by the other Bloggers Challenge members blog and check out their creations as well.

Jul 2, 2009

Hello! - Can you believe it's July already. Where has this year gone...the weeks are just flying by. In fact it's time once again for Kerry's 3CT Challenge and this week we celebrate, "Red, White and Blue!" - Now I had thought about doing a non-patriotic card but I just couldn't resist and so here is my tribute to the Red, White and Blue. I've had this adorable Statue of Liberty (Eureka Stamps) forever and have never inked her up - I know, what a shame because she is a cutie patotie, isn't she? - I decided to paper piece her dress and used some fun paper from the Firecracker Paper collection by Sweetwater. I loved all the lines and wavy lines in the paper. Next up I colored my image with Prisma color pencils and blended with gamsol. I stamped the Firecracker (also Eureka) and cut it out and highlighted it with a yellow Spica Glitter pen. Then I died some hemp twine with Lipstick Red Fluid Chalk ink (Colorbox) and attatched it with a couple of small dabs of Crystal Effects. I mounted my image on Night of Navy cs and added 3 punched stars in Real Red, Night of Navy and Brocade Blue.

The sentiment is from Effie Glitzfingers - St. Louis Stamp Designs. I stamped it with Versa Mark ink and embossed it with Cobalt Tapestry EP (PSX) on Real Red cs. Then I added 3 blue star eyelets and wavy punched layers of Night of Navy and Brocade Blue and tied White Grosgrain ribbon around it.

So for some more fabulous Red, White and Blue creations stop by Kerry's Blog (Click on the 3CT icon on my sidebar) and then visit all the DT members blogs and leave them some comment hugs. Have a great day.